Las Colinas Four Seasons Up for Wine Award

The Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas' Cafe on the Green has been nominated for its outstanding wine program by the James Beard Foundation Awards. (Published Monday, Feb. 25, 2013)

The Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas is becoming a better known place for wine lovers.

The resort's Café on the Green has been nominated for its outstanding wine program by the James Beard Foundation Awards for the third consecutive year.

James Tidwell, the only Master Sommelier in the almost 100 properties owned by Four Seasons, said he studied wine intensely for about a decade to gain the coveted title, and during the process his love for the beverage has continued to grow.

"Wine can transport you, it's like armchair traveling. And so if you find a sense of adventure in yourself, wine is a great way to exercise that," Tidwell said.

Vail Tolbert, director of public relations for the resort, said the restaurant's recognition in recent years has brought a lot of exposure.

"What this particular award has been compared to is the Oscars of the food and beverage industry. So it's the highest honor that you can possibly receive," she said.

The restaurant's wine cellar hosts more than 650 selections representing dozens of countries. It contains more than 3,500 bottles of wine.

"For us what an outstanding wine program means is having a balanced and broad selection of wines. Something that would work for anyone," said Tidwell.

Tidwell also said the wine list should be seen as a welcoming invitation to the restaurant and hoped more customers will take advantage of what they offer.

"We host people from all over the world and sometimes they like to show off the wines from their country and they're very happy that we have wines where they can do that," he said.

Tolbert said the finalists for the Outstanding Wine Program will be announced on March 18.